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Shopping and Savings Don't Stop After Christmas

Many Northlanders got shiny new gifts for Christmas, but holiday shopping didn't stop just because Christmas has passed.

A flood of shoppers hit Miller Hill Mall on Thursday to scoop up after Christmas deals and exchange those gifts that didn't pan out.

“Get up early so we can do our exchanges before all kinds of people show up,” Jacqueline Crackel said.

She needed to exchange some jeans for a better fit, and her daughter returned a bright new ring to cover the cost of a Kindle e-book reader.

“I wanted something because I'm going to college next year. Something that I can read boos on and stuff like that,” Lydia Crackel said.

Other shopper put their electronics to work to get even better after-Christmas deals. Nicole Huber didn't fuss with cutting coupons. She said a smartphone application got her discounts at just about any store.

“Yeah, you just have to redeem it and they can just scan it on their computers,” Huber said.

She said that stretches the gift cards she got for Christmas.

“They got us like almost $200 from different stores so it's been a big help,” Huber said. “Deals have been really good so that definitely helps on top of free money from gift cards.”

A rush of shoppers arrived after lunch, but the deal hunters said there was less stress at the mall after Christmas.

“I think that before Christmas it's such a rush to get everything done, and so today is just about relaxing and shopping and not having to worry about getting things at the last minute,” Kris Henry said.

Shoppers said they did find up to 70 percent off at some stores, but with smartphones those deals could be hiding right in the palm of your hand.